State government’s ambitious programme ‘Back to Village’ has generated hope among the people in various villages here, who expect the initiative would address their development needs.
Nearly 6-km from Srinagar-Baramulla highway is locatedWagoora, a tehsil headquarter, on the banks of Ningli, a major tributary ofriver Jhelum, in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district.
The block headquarter of Rural Development department,Wagoora, is expected to get a major thrust under the ‘Back to Village’programme.
At least 63 villages of the area are linked to Wagoorablock.
A two-lane road from highway to Wagoora built by AsianDevelopment Bank in 2001 has been left incomplete just outside the main townWagoora.
Drinking water is being directly supplied from the Nallahswithout filtration, and the power supply is dismal.
A major road, Putkha-Wagoora, connecting the constituencywith national highway has been ignored though scores of villages fall along thePutkha-Wagoora road.
“We have faced massive discrimination on politicalfront in the past two decades. Most of our institutions have been rendereddefunct by the successive governments,” the locals said.
“Without looking into suitability and convenience ofmajority population, the new offices, college and other institutions have comeup in a village located on the fringe of our Assembly constituency,” saidMushtaq Ahmad of Wagoora, where from DC Baramulla inaugurated the Back toVillage program on Thursday.
The State Government’s ambitious programme from June 20 toJune 27 has four main goals including energising panchayats, collectingfeedback on delivery of government schemes and programmes, capturing specificeconomic potential, and undertaking assessment of needs of villages.
During the programme, designated gazetted officers will stayfor at least two-days including a night in the assigned villages and takefirsthand assessment of developmental needs and economic potential by havingdirect interaction with people and Panchayat representatives.
The officers will then submit a report to the concerneddistrict administrations for redressal of their grievances.
Under this initiative which envisages taking governance atthe doorsteps, 4483 officers across the hierarchy, from Principal Secretariesto entry-level gazetted officers, will visit every panchayat of the state, stayovernight and spend two days listening to people’s grievances and their needs.
Locals hope the Back to Village program will give flip tohealth and education sector of Wagoora.
They have been demanding Community Health Centre atWagoora,an Industrial Training Institute and a Municipality which thoughapproved are pending for execution for long due to political interference,locals said.
Locals allege the building housing sub division, PowerDevelopment Department, was gutted in a fire in 2007 and since then office hasbeen working in an army camp.
“We have been requesting the government to constructthe new building for the PDD office at Wagoora but to no avail. The people fromthe village including some widows have to enter the army camp to pay our billsand sort out our grievances,” said Abdul Rashid, a local.
Similar situation is at Saripara village of Rafiabad. Localshave been demanding public transport from Rohama to Sopore cross through theirvillage so that they reach markets, offices and schools without inconvenience.
“We have to walk five kilometers every day to reach toroad and then board a bus,” said Waseem Malik, who expects Back to Villagewill help address their grievances. Malik works in a local court at Wagoora.